Plane take off and land direction

[cdn52]

why is it when i travel clockwise round the m25 past heathrow airport that the planes one day take off heading west and land from the east and on another day take off east and land from the west

[Jaybee]

It could be to do with wind direction. Aircraft can't safely take off with the wind behind them.

[Gef]

Jaybee is correct. Aircraft always take off and land into the wind. If you keep count you should find that there are more days when the westerly heading is used since our prevailing winds are from the west.

[lisaj]

Aircraft achieve lift by airflow over the wings. Thus, if a plane faces into a headwind of 50mph, it will need to move 50mph slower in real terms (groundspeed) to achieve the same lift. Thus, when taking off and landing, a plane will head into the wind so that it can move slower in real terms and therefore safer.